Ecology & Evolutionary Biology

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EEB undergrad wins in EUReCA competition

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EEB undergrad Devin Jones won first place in the EUReCA undergraduate research symposium, Ecology, Evolution, and Water Quality category, at UT. Devin’s poster was on “Fall Migration of Corn and Rice Strains of Spodoptera fruigperda (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) in Southwest Texas”. She conceived of the project and performed all the field and lab work as well as the analyses. She was mentored by EEB Dept. Head Gary McCracken and EEB PhD student Jennifer Krauel.

Epigenetics and homosexuality

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A recent paper by Bill Rice, Urban Fridberg, and UTK EEB faculty member Sergey Gavrilets, proposes that epigenetic factors, the switching on or off of genes by factors other than other genes, may lead to homosexuality. This work arises from a working group at the National Institute for Mathematical and Biological Synthesis (NIMBioS), which is on the UT Knoxville campus. For more information, see the press release and the original article.

Search for EEB Head

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HEAD – DEPARTMENT OF ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTIONARY BIOLOGY

The Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology (http://eeb.bio.utk.edu) at the flagship campus of The University of Tennessee in Knoxville is seeking a senior colleague for the position of Professor and Head. We are interested in a visionary individual able to lead a department that is already rich in potential to become one of the top EEB departments in the world. Candidates should evidence effective leadership and have a record of excellence in teaching and research in any area of ecology and evolutionary biology or related field.

The Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology is dynamic with ambitious plans for future growth in all aspects of our scholarship. There is already much collaboration both among the 27 current faculty and 60 graduate students and with nearby scientists and mathematicians associated with the National Institute of Mathematical and Biological Synthesis, Oak Ridge National Lab, and Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The University of Tennessee is a faculty-friendly campus and supports dual-career couples.

Applicants should currently hold or be eligible for promotion to the rank of Professor. The successful applicant will be expected to have achieved an internationally renowned research program, as well as to possess real insights into undergraduate and graduate teaching, administering a department and interacting with other university units. The Knoxville campus of  the University of Tennessee is seeking candidates who have the ability to contribute in  meaningful ways to the diversity and intercultural goals of the University.

To apply, please send the following in a single pdf-formatted document to mander16@utk.edu: (1) a cover letter that includes a vision statement for the head’s leadership role in the growth of an EEB department, a statement of teaching philosophy/experience and current research interests, and the names and contact information for three referees; (2) a CV; and (3) copies of three publications. Review of applications will begin on December 1, 2012 and will continue until the position is filled. The anticipated starting date is August of 2013.

All qualified applicants will receive equal consideration for employment and admissions without regard to race, color, national origin, religion, sex, pregnancy, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, physical or mental disability, or covered veteran status.

Eligibility and other terms and conditions of employment benefits at The University of Tennessee are governed by laws and regulations of the State of Tennessee, and this non-discrimination statement is intended to be consistent with those laws and regulations.

In accordance with the requirements of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, The University of Tennessee affirmatively states that it does not discriminate on the basis of race, sex, or disability in its education programs and activities, and this policy extends to employment by the University.

Inquiries and charges of violation of Title VI (race, color, national origin), Title IX (sex), Section 504 (disability), ADA (disability), Age Discrimination in Employment Act (age), sexualorientation, or veteran status should be directed to the Office of Equal Opportunity and Accessibility (EOA), 1840 Melrose Avenue, Knoxville, TN 37996-3560, telephone (865) 974-2498 (V/TTY available) or 974-2440. Requests for accommodation of a disability should be directed to the ADA Coordinator at the Office of Equal Opportunity and Accessibility.

Gavrilets’ work on monogamy featured in Slate

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UTK Distinguished Professor Sergey Gavrilets’ work on the evolution of monogamy, published in PNAS, has been featured in an article in the online magazine Slate. In his model, low-ranked males begin providing resources to females, who begin selecting them rather than higher-ranked males. Such behavior then becomes optimal for males higher and higher up the hierarchy.

Gavrilets’ work on monogamy featured in Slate

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UTK Distinguished Professor Sergey Gavrilets’ work on the evolution of monogamy, published in PNAS, has been featured in an article in the online magazine Slate. In his model, low-ranked males begin providing resources to females, who begin selecting them rather than higher-ranked males. Such behavior then becomes optimal for males higher and higher up the hierarchy.

Bats go where the food is

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A recent paper in PLOS ONE by dept. head Gary McCracken and colleagues, including former UTK EEB grad students Veronica Brown and Paula Federico, as well as UTK postdoc Melanie Eldridge, analyzed insect DNA in bat feces. Their work suggests that bats change foraging locations to match prey abundance. It also supports previous researchers’ findings that bats contribute substantially to agriculture, providing services that can amount to 12% of the value of a crop.

Abstract: 
The role of bats or any generalist predator in suppressing prey populations depends on the predator’s ability to track and exploit available prey. Using a qPCR fecal DNA assay, we document significant association between numbers of Brazilian free-tailed bats (Tadarida brasiliensis) consuming corn earworm (CEW) moths (Helicoverpa zea) and seasonal fluctuations in CEW populations. This result is consistent with earlier research linking the bats’ diet to patterns of migration, abundance, and crop infestation by important insect pests. Here we confirm opportunistic feeding on one of the world’s most destructive insects and support model estimates of the bats’ ecosystem services. Regression analysis of CEW consumption versus the moth’s abundance at four insect trapping sites further indicates that bats track local abundance of CEW within the regional landscape. Estimates of CEW gene copies in the feces of bats are not associated with seasonal or local patterns of CEW abundance, and results of captive feeding experiments indicate that our qPCR assay does not provide a direct measure of numbers or biomass of prey consumed. Our results support growing evidence for the role of generalist predators, and bats specifically, as agents for biological control and speak to the value of conserving indigenous generalist predators.

Evolution and Bullying

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UTK Distinguished Professor of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology and Mathematics Sergey Gavrilets recently published a paper in PNAS on the evolutionary origins of egalitarianism.  It shows why individuals may be selected for interfering in a conflict between a bully and a victim on the side of the victim.

Abstract:
The evolutionary emergence of the egalitarian syndrome is one of the most intriguing unsolved puzzles related to the origins of modern humans. Standard explanations and models for cooperation and altruism—reciprocity, kin and group selection, and punishment—are not directly applicable to the emergence of egalitarian behavior in hierarchically organized groups that characterized the social life of our ancestors. Here I study an evolutionary model of group-living individuals competing for resources and reproductive success. In the model, the differences in fighting abilities lead to the emergence of hierarchies where stronger individuals take away resources from weaker individuals and, as a result, have higher reproductive success. First, I show that the logic of within-group competition implies under rather general conditions that each individual benefits if the transfer of the resource from a weaker group member to a stronger one is prevented. This effect is especially strong in small groups. Then I demonstrate that this effect can result in the evolution of a particular, genetically controlled psychology causing individuals to interfere in a bully–victim conflict on the side of the victim. A necessary condition is a high efficiency of coalitions in conflicts against the bullies. The egalitarian drive leads to a dramatic reduction in within-group inequality. Simultaneously it creates the conditions for the emergence of inequity aversion, empathy, compassion, and egalitarian moral values via the internalization of behavioral rules imposed by natural selection. It also promotes widespread cooperation via coalition formation.

It has also garnered widespread press coverage:

Los Angeles Times: Evolution stands up to bullies
http://www.latimes.com/news/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-stop-bullying-20120813,0,7921942.story?track=rss
 
Health: Fight the Power: Standing Up to Bullies Benefits Us All
http://news.health.com/2012/08/13/standing-up-to-bullies-benefits-society-study-suggests/
 
Knoxville New Sentinel: Science and bullying: Why we are programmed to help others
 
Tennessee Today: UT, NIMBioS Study Finds Bullies Squelched When Bystanders Intervene
http://www.utk.edu/tntoday/2012/08/13/ut-nimbios-study-bullies-squelched/
 
Decoded Science "Egalitarian Drives as a Response to Bullying"
https://evolution-institute.org/egalitarian-drives-as-a-response-to-bullying/


Discover Magazine: Against the Übermensch 
http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/gnxp/2012/08/against-the-ubermensch/
 
Examiner.com: Bullying intervention is genetically evolutionary 'right thing to do’
http://www.examiner.com/article/bullying-intervention-is-genetically-evolutionary-right-thing-to-do
 
United Press International: Fighting bullies pushed evolution
http://www.upi.com/Science_News/2012/08/14/Study-Fighting-bullies-pushed-evolution/UPI-73181344980881/?spt=hs&or=sn

Piteå-Tidningen (Sweden): Thus arose the sense of equality
 
French Tribune: Standing against Bullying is in Genes 
 
Folha de S. Paulo (Brasil): O altruísmo egoísta
http://teoriadetudo.blogfolha.uol.com.br/2012/08/14/o-altruismo-egoista/
 
Korea Herald: Fighting bullies pushed evolution
http://view.koreaherald.com/kh/view.php?ud=20120815000175&cpv=0


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http://www.ria.ru/science/20120813/722911416.htm
bigmir.net (Ukrain):   ??????? ?????????????? ????????? ? ???????? ? ???? ???????? – ?????????
http://techno.bigmir.net/discovery/1523403-Chyvstvo-spravedlivosti-razvilos-y-cheloveka-v-hode-evolucii—matematik

Study on teaching highlighted by Science

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Recent work by grad student Denise Kendall and assistant professor Beth Schussler was selected as an Editors’ Choice by Science. 


Article abstract: Graduate teaching assistants (GTAs) are used extensively as instructors in higher education, yet their status and authority as teachers may be unclear to undergraduates, to administrators, and even to the GTAs themselves. This study explored undergraduate perception of classroom instruction by GTAs and professors to identify factors unique to each type of instructor versus the type of classes they teach. Data collection was via an online survey composed of subscales from two validated instruments, as well as one open-ended question asking students to compare the same class taught by a professor versus a GTA. Quantitative and qualitative results indicated that some student instructional perceptions are specific to instructor type, and not class type. For example, regardless of type of class, professors are perceived as being confident, in control, organized, experienced, knowledgeable, distant, formal, strict, hard, boring, and respected. Conversely, GTAs are perceived as uncertain, hesitant, nervous, relaxed, laid-back, engaging, interactive, relatable, understanding, and able to personalize teaching. Overall, undergraduates seem to perceive professors as having more knowledge and authority over the curriculum, but enjoy the instructional style of GTAs. The results of this study will be used to make recommendations for GTA professional development programs.